Luke Chastel
Luke Chastel is a Falleen politician, journalist, son of the renowned ex-Chancellor, Dillon Chastel, and husband to Princess Anoushka of Veldunium. Luke is the 2nd of Dillon's adopted Children, his brother James being adopted a few months before him, but Luke is reported to have inherited his father's love of politics. He first rose to national prominence due to his role during the Lecter Wartime Government, in which he was appointed Chairman of the War Production Board a mere few days after his 20th birthday. This move was an effort by James Lecter to appoint a non-partisan member to head the new, and very powerful, War Production Board. Luke served in this capacity for the entire length of the Government and oversaw a huge rise in wartime production, however he was brusquely dismissed in 542 shortly before the collapse of the Lecter Government. Following this debacle he was viciously attacked by the Lecter Press with claims he leaked Cabinet secrets to the press and the opposition along with claims of number-fixing and fabricating stories about the Lecter family. These attacks were mostly discounted and rebutted by both Luke and many individuals across the political spectrum, however it did facilitate his temporary withdrawal from frontline politics and he has yet to make a re-emergence on the political scene. Early Life Luke was adopted by Dillon Chastel and his husband David Mecoo in 519. The family had adopted his older brother, James, a few months prior. Young Luke was thrown directly onto the political scene due to Dillon's Chancellorship at the time, with his photo being printed on the front of many national newspapers and magazines. Luke attended the prestigious and highly acclaimed Vinther I University, a private fee paying establishment in Cartria. He graduated with full honours at the age of 19 with qualifications in History, Journalism and Geopolitical Diplomacy & Economics. He was consistently one of the top students during his 3 years there while being ranked 13th in the overall graduate table. During his university years he acquired a reputation for fine tastes such as vintage wine, champagne and throwing big parties for the whole dorm at his own expense. Reports circulated around this time that, including the fees, the Chastel household spent roughly 4 Million Fall sending Luke to University, this included the renting of a luxury villa in the Cartrian countryside for the holiday periods. As well as an academic he was also an accomplished sportsman and actor being both team captain of the University Cricket Team and Chairman of the University's Drama Society in his final year at the University. Luke mostly remained out of Politics during this time and reports of his political views are mixed, though it is widely speculated that he holds similar views to the Centre/Centre-Left views that came to epitomize his Father's political career. His sexuality was also been heavily questioned by the Press during his University years after it was reported he had many a "drunken encounter" with many male friends of his and that he was a well known face amongst the gay circles within the University. Chairman of the War Production Board In 539 he was appointed Chairman of the War Production Board by James Lecter personally, due to the prominence of his father and the wish of Mr Lecter to make this crucial war ministry non-partisan. Over the next few years he revolutionized the war Falleen Industry worked during wartime and centralised a lot of key decision making and project planning to his office, while delegating a lot more power to individual factories. He also worked to streamline the overall production process and chain, aiming to promote more collaborative factory work while working towards an overall aim. Recent Events His resignation and subsequent botched dismissal, alongside vicious press attacks of a personal nature, forced Luke to step back from mainstream politics and aim on improving the standings of House Chastel. With his brother James joining the Military he took over the day-to-day management of the House and its affairs, investing heavily into the War Bond scheme with over 20 Billion fall being contributed. He also oversaw a great improvement in the House management, enabling extra staff to be taken on and more funding to be diverted to the Chastel Island that lies off the Coast of Delnour. Rumours continue to plague him regarding his relationship to Prince Alex Lecter, but there is no concrete evidence to these claims and Luke has always denied them publicly when questioned. Category:The Great Noble Houses of Falleentium